Way after the manga and the animated movie, Akira was to gain a video game. As history has shown, the official game by Black Pearl Software never came to fruition and never hit the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive. However, thanks to folks preserving old work, the title set for 1995 has resurfaced in video form.

You’ll likely know this Akira game due to that YouTube video on the net showing it in action during the Summer Consumer Electronics Show (SCES) in 1994.

Well, you get to see the title that went into development sometime in 1993 in action. Thanks to hiddenpalace.org, you can watch an early prototype of the game of many genres smashed into one right here.

The abridged version showcases the motorcycle chase (which is very much like Road Rash), the hospital scene (acting like the first-person shooter game Hostages), the sewers (a segment like any other 2D side-scroller), the second sewer scene (that contains the Flying Platform), Tetsuo’s rampage, and the fight between Kaneda and Tetsuo (although it doesn’t work.)

The shorter video comes in courtesy of NeoGamer – The Video Game Archive:

The next video is the full version by Hidden Palace. If you are into elongated scenes that are not finished, you have a lot to look over. Anyway, you can check out the newly posted video right here:

“Developed by Black Pearl Software sometime in late 1993 for a planned released in 1995, this game attempted to do a faithful adaptation of the original film by presenting various key scenes from the film in unique ways. The game features first person shooting, racing, platforming, and beat-em up segments to help illustrate the various points in the movie’s story. Thought to have been lost since its initial debut in various media as well as the Summer Consumer Electronic Show (SCES 94) in 1994, an early prototype has been discovered and is presented for the first time in full!”

I’ll say this, the unfinished game seems ambitious but all over the place at the same time. Sadly, this is as close as we’ll get to ever seeing the complete product — unless another person that’s into preserving video games uncovers more in the foreseeable future.

If you are interested in the Sega edition of the game and wish to learn more, Hidden Palace has a write up on the game by visiting the official website.